★Zehra
The Trance of Seven Colors
Big tip! *2024 much needed repress* The Trance of Seven Colors by master Gnawa musician Maleem Mahmoud Ghania and free jazz legend Pharoah Sanders comes in a gatefold sleeve and also include download code. Produced by Bill Laswell and - according to The Attic - "one of the most important albums of Gnawa trance music released in the '90s", The Trance of Seven Colors was originally released in 1994 on Laswell's Axiom imprint and is the magic meeting of two true musical masters. Maleem Mahmoud Ghan…
Al Saher
Calamita = Karkhana members Tony Elieh, Sharif Sehnaoui and Lebanese drummer Malek Rizkallah join forces with the Egyptian singer Aya Metwalli - the result is the improbable meeting between free jazz / improv, punk rock & Oum Kalthoum!
Calamita is the "rock project" of Sharif Sehnaoui and Tony Elieh, two of the most active musicians on the Lebanese experimental scene (among others projects, both are members of the "free Middle Eastern music" collective Karkhana). Sehnaoui comes from a jazz and i…
The Music Of Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Tip! Reissue of the oud / viola virtuoso Simon Shaheen’s interpretations of pieces by one of the Middle East`s most important 20th Century composers, Mohamed Abdel Wahab. Produced by Bil Laswell, remastered for vinyl at D&M Berlin. Mohamed Abdel Wahab (1902-1991) was „a giant in the world of Middle Eastern entertainment” (Al Jadid Magazine) - as singer, actor and composer – and is commonly considered “the father of modern Egyptian song”. After a visit to Paris, he revolutionized the film industr…
Istehlal
Zehra is proud to present the debut album Istehlal by the Mohamad Zatari Trio, consisting of musicians from Syria, Iran and India. The trio merges traditional Middle Eastern sounds with contemporary vibes incl. interpretations of Hossein Alizadeh and Riad Al-Sunbati classics.
Night Spirit Masters
Remastered vinyl reissue of this 1990 Bill Laswell / Richard Horowitz production of local Gnawa musicians, recorded in the Medina of Marrakesh. According to Allmusic.com "a must for fans of both African and Middle Eastern music” and voted one of the "10 essential Gnawa albums” by Songlines. The Gnawa are an ethnic minorityin today’s Morocco, descendents of slaves from West Africa who were brought to Morocco in the 16th century and who (although they quickly converted to Islam) nevertheless broug…
Homage To Nazim Hikmet
Following the reissue of the self-titled debut by Tülay German & François Rabbath in
2021, we‘re presenting the 2nd and final part of our Tülay German reissues: "Homage to Nazım Hikmet" (1982). Once again in a duo setting with François Rabbath, Tülay German pays tribute to one of Turkey's greatest poets of the 20th century: Nazım Hikmet (1902-1963).
Myth Of The Drum. Urban Transformation (LP)
Multi-instrumentalist Umut Çağlar (Konstrukt, Karkhana), former Baba Zula drummer Fahrettin Aykut and the Finnish saxophone player/shakuhachi specialist Jone Takamäki join forces in a stunning improvised live set that blends free jazz with East-Asian Zen-sounds. The idea for Myth Of The Drum. Urban Transformation dates from an art exhibition in Istanbul 2017 where Fahrettin Aykut exhibited an installation called "Urvban Transformation" that combined painting and music, dealing with the relation …
Tulay German & Francois Rabbath
Remastered vinyl reissues of the two essential albums by Turkish folk/ jazz singer Tülay German, starting with the self-titled release (1980) and followed by „Hommage to Nazım Hikmet“ (1982) in early 2022. Referring heavily on turkish poets and the tradition of aşıks (singer-poets and wandering bards) these two albums represent unique and modern interpretations of turkish folk songs unmatched to this day. A matured artist with full conviction at the height of her powers! Back in the 60s Tülay …
Apocalypse Across the Sky
Zehra present a reissue of Apocalypse Across the Sky by The Master Musicians of Jajouka featuring Bachir Attar, originally released in 1992. Available on vinyl for the very first time. Produced by Bill Laswell, remastered for vinyl by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. No matter if you consider the Master Musicians of Jajouka a "4,000 year-old rock n' roll band" (William S. Burroughs) or even "6,000 years old" (Ornette Coleman) – without doubt, the music of the ensemble in all its in…